When I started art school long ago, one of my instructors said that if I wanted to be a good artist, one of the first things I should do is to buy a ream of typing paper and fill it with lines. First draw vertical lines on all of the sheets of paper, and on both sides. Then draw horizontal lines.
Then draw diagonal lines from left to right, and finally diagonal lines from right to left. The lines also had to be spaced equally apart.

So, I bought a ream of paper (which is 500 sheets) and got to work.  By the time I filled about 40 sheets, I got bored. It was not an exciting exercise. After all, I wanted to be an artist not a draftsman!
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​After my first year of studies, I took up watercolor painting and found out the importance of that exercise. 

I understood that I had finally left behind my coloring book days, and the grueling practice sessions learning cursive handwriting–all lessons learned using only the wrist. 

However, in drawing and painting, those habits will not serve you well. You will find that movements with your wrist are restricting, resulting in you having to continually turn your paper or canvas. The line work will lack fluidity.

You will have a bit more range of motion with movement from your elbow.

​But drawing from your shoulder will give you unlimited range of motion, especially when working on a larger piece.

Once you are able to control movement from your shoulder, you are more easily able to draw very small and very large lines in any direction without having to move your drawing surface around.

"Old Tree in Lone Grove"   28"X 16" 
​Drawing from the shoulder enabled me to make the initial drawing of this painting with more flow to capture the fluidity and continuity of the branches.

Thanks to Judy Arvidson-Program Chair, and Guild president David Becker, for the invitation to give a watercolor demonstration for the members of the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild last Thursday in Grayslake. Friends and fellow artists, Tony Armendariz and Ken Call, as well as former students of mine were also in attendance. It was an enthusiastic group of artists who were very attentive and asked lots of great questions! 

Four of my paintings have been selected for exhibit in "Watercolor 2018", the popular annual watercolor exhibit held at the  Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois.
I am happy to announce that several of my current students have paintings accepted into the show as well.
Congratulations to Karen Dodson, Debbie Freerksen and Patti Seifred.

​The exhibit opens Saturday, February 24th. The gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and is free to the public.   
The reception and awards presentation is Sunday, March 18 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

 I have been invited to present a watercolor painting demonstration for the Lakes region Watercolor Guild on Thursday morning March 8, 2018.
The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m., with the demonstration immediately following the meeting.

State Bank of the Lakes
50 Commerce Drive, Grayslake, IL
Lower level.

As another year draws to a close, I look back on the accomplishments of my Kaneville watercolor class. We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Kaneville Community Center.  We focus on landscapes with concepts of composition, color, perspective and technique emphasized each week. Each class consists of a critique of the previous paintings done in class, then a demonstration painting in a step-by-step format in which I explain the concept of the day. The students are able to take home a completed painting from each class.

My students come every week from as near as Elburn and Geneva, and as far away as LaGrange and Oak Park. It's a very disciplined class, and the students work hard. But their camaraderie and joy in painting is evident in every class. 

To my students, thank you for your dedication, and willingness to listen to all the information that I am constantly overwhelming you with. I am grateful for the privilege of being your teacher, helping you achieve your goals as artists. I look forward to another year of fun and hard work–and even more students! Happy New Year. Keep on painting! 

Demos of some of the concepts and subjects we've covered this past year.

Every year our small town of Kaneville celebrates Christmas in a big way, offering events such as a visit with Santa at the fire station, activities for kids at the library, free food and peppermint ice cream, the church cookie walk, a craft show, and a sleigh ride around town. Two small original farm houses moved, restored and maintained by the Kaneville Historical Society were open for visits, with homemade ornaments offered to the youngsters.

Though the town is small, its history is rich, and a small handful of people constantly work to maintain and to pass on the Kaneville legacy. I applaud their efforts, so for the past few years I have done a painting during the Christmas event, which is then raffled off, with all proceeds going to the Historical Society. This year's painting went to a very happy Kaneville resident, Poul Flamand. It was a pleasant surprise, since his wife, Karen, won the raffle for last year's painting!  

Go to News and Events to see my award winning students!

I will be exhibiting paintings this weekend as part of the annual Danada Nature Art Show.
I am proud to add that some of my current students will be showing their fine work as well. 

The exhibit will be held this coming Friday and Saturday, October 6th and 7th, from 1-4:00 p.m.,
and Sunday October 8th, from 11.00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the beautiful and historic Danada House.
The reception in honor of the artists will be held Friday evening, from 7-9 p.m.
​Please join us!

Danada House
3S501 Naperville Road
Wheaton, IL 60189

On the way to Starved Rock State park awhile back,  we came up an abandoned farm house off of the main road. The light was warm, the shadows were long, and overall, the scene had great potential for a future painting. 
After choosing one of the photographs taken that day, I made some needed changes. A photograph yields great information to use in a painting, but will most often need adjusting to create a stronger composition. Below is the original photo and the adjusted photo and the pattern of the adjusted photo.

Once satisfied with the composition, it was time to do the painting. In transparent watercolor, painting light to dark is most often the best approach. The process of the painting was done in three steps. I first painted the light, middle and dark values to establish the pattern. Next is creating the shape and form, and finally, adding the details within the pattern.

A chance encounter on a country drive offered an opportunity for another interesting painting!

I use photographic references for my paintings. While there are always interesting elements that draw me to the photos initially, the compositions are not always strong, and often need some adjustment. 

One tool to help clarify the elements within a composition is the use of a Notan drawing. Notan is a Japanese word that means “light-dark balance.”  A notan reduces a scene to the basic black and white shapes and patterns that serve as the foundation of a composition. Notan recognizes not only the balance of positive and negative space, but also the relationship of a specific shape to its background. It can also help eliminate extraneous elements in a photo, more easily simplifying a composition.

John Carlson refers to "decorative composition", meaning the arrangement of value-masses into a design, almost as a poster designer would proceed.

The notan below is of the original photograph. After adjusting the balance, unity, movement, proportion, and emphasis–"BUMPE"– I arrived at a much better composition, indicated by the notan in the middle. The finished painting is on the right.

The first thing that the viewer of your artwork sees is the pattern of light, middle and dark values. If you get that right, they will look more closely at the colors and the detail.